Happy New Year from the 30th annual IceStock festival!

McMurdo Station has developed many cultural traditions in its long history of supporting and implementing National Science Foundation science projects. One of these traditions is the annual New Years Eve outdoor music festival known as IceStock! IceStock 2019 marks the 30th annual IceStock festival. McMurdo's ~750 employees pool their musical talents to band together and ring in the new year. Musical acts included a bagpiper, marching band, folk singer, rock bands, and a variety of other performances.

IceStock also hosts an outdoor BBQ, chili cook-off, and a hot drinks shack serving hot chocolate and coffee all night. After midnight, the music shifts to a DJ-led dance party until 1:00am when everyone is encouraged to move on to bed or inside another venue to continue celebrating the new year.

Many departments all over McMurdo and Scott Base were cooking chili in their kitchens on New Years Eve.

A hot drinks shack kept people warm all night.

This is a few minutes after midnight, as the champagne came out and the dance party started getting going! The sun never sets in Antarctica in the summer.